Lincoln City will look to end their seven game winless run in Sky Bet League One, when fellow play-off hopefuls Reading visit the LNER Stadium.
The Imps’ rotten run of form in league action dates back to October, with their most recent win being a comeback 2-1 triumph against Northampton Town at home. Although, there have been victories over Chesham United, Manchester City under-21s, Crawley Town and Morecambe in cup action during the poor League One spell.
Opposition: Reading
Reading currently sit sixth in the League One table, three points ahead of Lincoln in ninth.
The Royals have, however, recently been rocked by the departure of manager Rubén Sellés, and assistants James Oliver-Pearce and Tobias Loveland to Championship strugglers Hull City.
It is expected Sellés will use the January window to raid his former club in an attempt to drag the Tigers out of the drop zone in the second tier, with attacking midfielder Harvey Knibbs and vice-captain Lewis Wing already being linked with moves to East Yorkshire.
The Berkshire side’s ownership issues are well-known, while new head coach Noel Hunt inherited a side that Sellés had rebuilt using youth. They were on a run of six league games unbeaten before the Spaniard’s departure.
Hunt’s first game in charge last weekend was a 3-0 loss at home to Steve Bruce’s Blackpool.

Team News:
Michael Skubala confirmed Tom Hamer remained absent for the foreseeable, while he seemed positive about Adam Jackson’s recovery. He did caution that the medical staff will give him time to fully recover.
Elsewhere, JJ McKiernan has recovered from a calf problem.
Tom Bayliss and Tyler Walker are both back from their respective issues. They are gradually building match sharpness, but are not yet ready to feature from the off.
Skubala also spoke of the importance of managing the pair’s minutes to impact games and gain fitness, whilst not risking them too much.
Head to Head:
All of the last three meetings between these two sides have been draws. Both outings last season finished 1-1, and the one prior to that dates back to April 1999, in Division Two.
In total, the Imps’ have won eight games against The Royals since their first meeting in December 1961 – but 11 of their 26 clashes have finished with the points shared.
Played for Both: Ben House
Ben House joined Reading from Aldershot Town in 2016. A year later, he signed his first professional contract with the club.
His time as a pro in Berkshire yielded no senior appearances, and he was released at the end of his deal in 2020. Following his release he joined Eastleigh, then moved to Lincoln in January 2022.